Justice: CESI demands stop to prison privatisations

“It is a scandal that, even in times of crisis, certain countries continue to privatise prisons and therefore to compromise both the safety and the health of enforcement officers,” Mark Freeman, Chairman of the CESI Justice trade council, criticised on 5th October in London. For example, the British government continues to sell prisons with no heed for the concerns and arguments of the workforce. “The employees concerned on site know best how a prison needs to be organised,” Freeman said. Effective and appropriate prison operation cannot be provided from a purely competitive perspective.

The privatisation of state property in certain countries of Europe is increasingly also causing problems in sensitive areas. “There is pressure on public spending but the privatisation of prisons is not a solution. Considerably more problems will be created than will be solved,” Freeman said. The penal system is a sovereign function, over which the state must not lose control. Otherwise, its own moral standards would be called into question. Rather, the penal system must remain an exemplary establishment. “The way a society deals with its offenders says a great deal about its core values. We must not abandon these,” the trade council chairman urged. Privatised prisons would, however, frequently be unable to maintain these standards.

Nonetheless, the pressure to which prison staff are subjected must equally not be forgotten. “In times of crisis, the employees in prisons are at the forefront of social debate,“ Freeman declared. All too often, however, the state has lost sight of their needs. “The strain on the health of guards in prisons is huge and continues to increase with every staff cut,“ Freeman said. The European governments that have so far made their mark particularly with cuts and privatisation, for example such as the British government, now need to finally come to their senses.